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With the summer days approaching, not only students but also teachers are counting down to "Ó - IÓ - CIÓ..." (From the Hungarian word Vakáció, which means vacation.) However, far fewer people take note of the fact that during mid-winter, teachers and students do the same, as they did this January: "o - io - tio - atio - catio - ucatio - ducatio - EDUCATIO!"
On 9th of January 2025, for the 25th time, the Educatio International Education Exhibition opened its doors at Hungexpo's Pavilions A and D, covering an area of 20,000 square metres, with 200 exhibitors from 18 countries. I will not make any estimates on the number of visitors. At the end of a very busy 3 days, I will settle for "a lot".
It is a real fairground in the right sense, a cultural ecosystem permeated by pedagogical diversity for all participants. Art and money go hand in hand here, the robust Lynx combat vehicle of the Defence Forces with the ponies displaced by the University of Veterinary Medicine, or the Bosch Group's constantly employed fiddler's jigger, spiked with hand drills, with the eye-catching bottles of the Tokaj-Hegyalja University.
Each stand tried to outdo the others with a serious arsenal of souvenirs, showing off their most interesting tools for the visitors to try out as they played with their future visions. From a waveing robotic dog, to practising resuscitation in the shadow of an ambulance with its opened doors, to a drone playing basketball, you could really try almost everything.
This effervescent diversity, in a playful yet undeniably serious way, was brought together to engage minds and hearts with the express purpose of giving young people on the brink of a career choice a taste of the inexhaustible range of possibilities. It is true that those who came with no specific purpose could quickly become overwhelmed by the many little sips, but they could also, wittingly or unwittingly, gain useful information. Most of the teachers were returning guests, as their main concern was to help their pupils, while worried parents were able to get reassuring answers.
We, the Support Service of the University of Pécs, were found in connection with SNI-related issues, trying out the wheelchair or the mysteriously named "age simulator", filling in a quick test indicating possible involvement of ADHD and learning disability, and then being evaluated by our special education teacher. That is right, as equal opportunities are not an insignificant aspect for those about to graduate and those about to do matriculation. Of course, the knowledge acquired can be both a mover and a bumper, depending on how it is presented.
Personally, I believe in the profound power of sensitisation and the personalised approach of professionals. Moreover, this year, for the first time, we were able to add a student to our small team who is herself benefiting from the Support Service.
PTE's slogan: "Everyone wants to be a Pécsian!" is catchy and telling. Pécs really deserves at least one faculty, which can become an unforgettable era in the long run.
The motto of Educatio is similar, I think: "Everyone wants to be a student!".
- András Olessák -